Music-leaf turner.



No. 729,944. PATENTED JUNE 2,- 1903. A. H. LAMB.

MUSIC LEAF TURNER. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21, 1902. 10 MODEL. 2 suns-sum1.

YHE NORBIS PETERS CO. PHOTO-LITHOY, WASHINGTON, & C"

No. 729,944. 4 PATENTED JUNE 2, 1903.

A. H. LAMB.

MUSIC LEAF TURNER.

APPLICATION nuzn'mnn 21, 1902. no MODEL. 1 '2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 UNITEDSTATES Patented June 2, 1903.

PATENT I QFFICE.

AL HERBERT LAMB, OF ELBON, PENNSYLVANIA.

MUSIC-LEAF TURNER.

SPECIFNATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 729. dated- June 2, 1903'Application filed June 21 ,1902- citizen of the United States, residingat Elbon,

in the county of Elk and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new anduseful Music Leaf Turner, of which the following is a specification. r

This invention relates to combined bookholders and leaf-turners, and isdesigned to provide an improved device of this character which isespecially applicable to pianos for supporting book and'sheet music inposition to be conveniently read by the performer and also having meansfor successively turning the leaves of the music in a convenient andeffective manner.

It is furthermore designed to arrange for mounting the device upon themusic rack or support of a piano in such a manner as to preventlooseness and displacement of the device by the manipulation of theleaf-turning means and also to have the holding means adjustable, so asto accommodate the device to pianos of different sizes.

Another object is to provide for mounting the leaf turning arms so thatthe throw of each arm is equal to the throw of each of the other arms inorder that there may be a uniform turningof the leaves and to preventdisplacement of the leaves from'the arms.

Another object isto' arrange the arm-manipulating devices in compactrelation and in convenient reach of the performer without interferingwith the passage of the hands over the keyboard.

Another object is to have the leaf-turning arms adjustable in order thatthey may be accommodated to the varying widths of leaves.

With these and other objects in view the present invention consists inthe combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter morefully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularlypointed out in the appended claims, it being understood thatchanges inthe form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within thescope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing anyof the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of an upright piano,showing the present device applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a detail ele-Serial No. 1 12,645. (No model.)

vation of the back of the device. Fig. 3 isa detail view with the frontof the piano in sec- \tion and the combined holder andturner in sideelevationto show the manner of fitting the device to a piano. Fig. 4c isan enlarged front elevation of the lower portion of the body of theholder to show the leaf-turning ,means. Fig. 5 is a vertical sectionthereof on the line 5 f Fig. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the leaf-tn rningmeans with the back or body of the holder in section. Fig. 7 is ahorizontal cross sectional view to show the mounting of themanipulating-keys. Fig. 8 is a detail sectional view of one of theleaft-urning arms to show the telescopic construction thereof.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in all of thefigures of the drawings.

For an understanding of the supporting or holding feature of the presentinvention reference is had at first more particularly to Figs. 1 to 3 ofthe drawings, wherein the reference character 1 designates the back orbody of the device, which is in the form of a rectangular plate orboard, Which'may have any preferred ornamental or attractive shape.Extending longitudinally across the back of the body is a pair oflongitudinal notched or slotted cleats 2, which, besides stiffening theboard and preventing warping thereof, also form guides for anendwise-shiftable bar 3, which is designed to be projected or extendedabove the top of the board to form an extensible support for the upperend thereof in order that the device may be fitted to pianos ofdifferent sizes, as will be hereinafter explained. A set-screw 4 piercesthe upper portion of the body and engages the extensible bar 3, so as tohold the same against accidental endwise movement after being adjusted.Near the lower end of the body is In applying the device to a piano, asshown in Figs. 1 and 3, the upstanding ledge at the outer edge of themusic rack or rail 9 of the piano is received between the spring 5 andthe back of the body of the device, and the bar 3 is adjusted to fitbetween the pendent ledge at the outer edge of the top 10 of the pianoand the front 11 thereof. \Vhen thus applied, the spring 5, which has acomparati'vely long intermediate portion resting upon the music rack orrail 9, forms a stable support for the lower end of the device and alsosnugly grips the ledge of the music-rail between the spring and the body1, so as to guard against looseness and accidental displacement of thebody, while the upper end of the bar 8 is seated between the front ofthe piano 11 and the ledge upon the 10p of the piano and is thereby heldagainst displacement.

The leaf-turning means comprises a plurality of substantiallyhorizontally-SWinging arms 12, which are arranged in stepped series onein front of the other, all of the arms being equal in length andswinging in parallel planes. Each arm isprovided at its inner end with apendentjournal or shaft 13,which pierces the top and bottom of a box orcasing 14, secured to the front of the body and projected slightly belowthe latter. The openings in the top and bottom of the casing whichreceive the shafts also form bearings therefor, the lower ends of theshafts being stepped in the bottom of the casing, as best illustrated inFig. 5, so as to support the shafts. Each arm is-made extensible, so asto accommodate the device toleaves of different widths by means of anouter tubular section 15, which telescopes upon the outerend of the arm,as bestindicated in Fig. 8. At the outer end of the tubular section 15are a pair of spaced upstanding substantially parallel spring-fingers16, which are designed to embrace a leaf, so as to connectthe armthereto, wherefore it is apparent that the fingers 16 form a bifurcated.seat to receive the lower edge of aleaf. The fingers 16 are preferablyelastic and separated by aspace slightly less than five times thethickness of a leaf in order that the latter maybeheld betweenthefingers and that the leaf may not pull through the space between thefingers when being turned. \Vhen the arms are in their initialpositionsthat is to say, at the right-hand side of the device-they arebraced by means of a stepped support 17, rising from the top of thecasing and provided with stops or a succession of shoulders graduallyincreasingin height, according to the height of the arms above the topof the casing. This stepped support is best illustrated in Figs. 5 and(3, from which it is apparent that the support takes the strain from theshafts or journals of the arms and the upstanding shouldered portionsform stops to limit the movements of the arms toward the body and tomaintain the same in parallel relation, so that they may .not interferewith one another. It will here be noted that the stepped support is atthe right-hand side only of the device, as it is desired to permit thearms to swing as far back as possible toward the body when thrown to theleft side thereof in order that the leaves may lie as flat as possible.To provide for the convenient manipulation of the arms by rotating theshafts or journals 13, the latter are provided with pinions 18, whichare disposed one above the other, preferably with the pinion upon theoutermost shaft disposed near the lower end thereof, with the otherpinions disposed in regular succession in higher horizontal planes. Eachpinion is controlled by two keys 19, which are in the form ofendwiseshiftable bars located at opposite sides of the pinion in thesame horizontal plane therewith and having their inner sides providedwith teeth 20 in mesh with the pinion. Each of these keys or rack-barsis preferably polygonal in cross-section and works through acorrespondingly-shaped opening 21 in the front of the casing or box 14,the outer end of the bar being provided with a finger-piece 22 and itsinner end having a longitudinal bore or socket 23 to telescopicallyreceive a guide stud or pin 2&, rigidly carried by the back of thecasing so as to guide the inner or rearend of the bar and to maintainthe toothed portion thereof in mesh with the pinion. It will be notedthat the back of the box or casing forms a stop. to limit the inward orrear movement of each key or bar, and as the pinion is stoppedsimultaneously with the inward or rearward movement of the key theoutward movement of the opposite key is always stopped at the same timeand is therefore prevented from being displaced from the pinion and thecasing. By having two keys for each pinion one of the keys is alwaysprojected and in position for manipulation to throw the correspondingarm, and therefore the keys are manipulated by pushes instead of bypulls, which is a very important advantage, as a pull upon one of thekeys would tend to displace the device from the piano.

For the support of the music upon the back or body 1 a plurality of pinsorprojections 25 are applied to the body and alined transversely acrossthe same just above the uppermost arm 12 and below the tops of thespring-fingers 16, so as to support the lower edges of the leaves ofmusic in convenient position to be engaged with the fingers. The pins 25are so arranged that the fingers 16 may swing between a pair of adjacentpins, so that the latter may not interfere with the leaf-turning means.

A pair of upstanding spring-arms 26 are secured to the lower portion ofthe front of the body and are disposed at opposite sides of the casing14, with their upper ends projected above the row of pins 25 and adaptedto overlap and bear against the leaves which are not to be turned inorder that the book or other piece of music may be held substantiallyrigid during the turning of the loose leaves.

I DO

In using the present device the body thereof is fitted to the piano, ashereinbefore described, and then the book or other piece of music isapplied to the back or body and supported upon the pins with the backedge of the book in alinement with the shafts of the leaf-turning arms.The leaf-turning arms are all thrown to the right-hand side of thedevice, and the lower edges of the leaves to be turned are successivelyengaged with the turning-arms, beginning with the uppermost andinnermost arm, the tubular member 15 of each arm of course beingadjusted so that the fingers or seats may occupy the most effectiveposition upon the leaves according to the widths thereof, it beingpreferable to have each seat somewhere between the middle of the leafand the outer free edge. thereof, but not so near the edge of the leafas to permit of the latter escaping from the seat (1 uring the turningthereof. When the leaves have been engaged with all of the arms, thekeys at the right-hand side of the casing will be at their inner limitsand the opposite keys at their outer limits, so that by pushing inwardlyupon the keys or finger-pieces in regularsuccession, beginning with thelowermost key, the leaves will be quickly and effectively turned fromthe right to the left in their proper order. Should it be desired torepeat a portion of the music upon the leaf which has been last turned,it is apparent that said leaf may be readily returned to its originalposition by pressing upon the corresponding right-hand key, which hasbeen projected by the original turning of the leaf.

Among the advantageous features of the present device the most importantwill be notedasfollows: Heansisprovidedforclamping the device firmlyupon the music ledge or rail of a piano, so as to effectually obviatewabbling and displacement of the device during the manipulation oftheleaf-turning arms, and the device is also adjustable in order that itmay be conveniently fitted to pianos of different sizes. Eachleaf-turning arm is mounted to turn upon an axis'which is in alinementwit-h the hinged edge of the correspond ing leaf, whereby the throw ofall of the arms is the same, the leaves are turned in a regular anduniform manner, and they do not slide through the seats and become looseto any appreciable extent. The seats or flugers 16 engage the loweredges of the leaves, and therefore there is no adjustment required tofit the device to different lengths of leaves, while the arms areendwise adjustable, so as to be accommodated to leaves of differentwidth. Moreover, the shafts or journals of the arms are disposedvertically one in front of the other, and the manipulating-keys arearranged in two vertical sets at the middle of the lower portion of thedevice, and therefore disposed in the most convenient position and arenot spread over the device.

What I claim is-- 1. Aleaf-turningdevice,comprisingabody,

a substantially Ushaped spring-clamp having its opposite ends connectedto the back of the body near the lower end thereof, and leafturningmeans cooperating with the front of the body.

2. A leaf-turning device comprising a body, guides upon the back of thebody, an extensible member mounted in the guides and adapted to beprojected above the top of the body, a set-screw piercing the front ofthe body and in cooperative relation with the extensible member, andleaf-turning means cotiperating with the front of the body.

3. Aleaf-turningdevice,con1prisingaplatelike body, one or morestiffening-cleats secured transversely across the back of the body, theinner edge of each cleat being notched, an endwise-shiftable bar mountedin the notch with its upper end adapted to be projecting above the upperend of the body, a set-screw piercing the body and in cooperativerelation with the bar, and leaf-turning means cotiperating with thefront of the body.

4:. A leaf-turning device,'comprising a platelike body, a substantiallyU-shaped springclamp having its opposite ends secured to the back ofthe'body near the lower end thereof, one or more stiffening-cleatssecured transversely across the back of the body, each clip having itsinner edge provided with a notch, an endwise-shiftable bar working inthe notch with its upper end adapted to be projected beyond the upperend of the body, a set-screw piercing the body and in cooperativerelation with the extensible bar, and-"leaf-turning means cooperatingwith the front of the body.

5. The combination with a musical instru ment having a front pendentledge at its top, and a music-rail provided with an upstanding ledge, ofa leaf-turning device comprising a body having its lower end disposed infront of and against the ledge, a clamp carried by the back of the bodyand engaging the back of the ledge, whereby the latter is grippedbetween the clampand the body, the upper end of the body being fittedback of the ledge at the top of the instrument, and leaf-turning meanscarried by the front of the body.

6. In a leaf-turning device, the combination with a body, of a casingcarried thereby, a plurality of shafts piercing the top of the casingwith their upper ends projected to different heights above the casing insuccession from the front to the rear shafts, leafturning arms carriedby the upper ends of the shafts and working in different planes, astepped support having its steps disposed to support and separate thearms at one limit thereof, and means for turning the shafts to swing thearms. 1

7. Thecombinationwith abodyhavingasubstantiallyhorizontaltransversebook-support, of a casing carried by the front of the body and below thesupport, a series of upstanding shafts jonrnaled in the bottom of thecasing with their upper ends projected through the top thereof andalined one in rear of the other, leaf-turning crank-arms carried by theupper ends of'the shafts and working between the top of the casing andthe book-support, pinions upon the shafts and disposed in differentplanes, a vertical series of substantially horizontal endWise-shiftablekeys piercing the front of the casing and provided with teeth in meshWith the corresponding pinions, and a similar series of keys at theopposite side of the series of pinions and in mesh therewith, each keyhaving a finger-piece at its ried by the upper ends of the shafts,tubular arm members telescoping upon the respective arms, upstandingspaced leaf embracing spring-fin ers carried by the outer ends of thetubular arm members and working between certain of the pins, pinionscarried by the shafts within the casing and lying in different verticalplanes, two sets of keys lying at opposite sides of the shafts andpiercing the front of the casing, the corresponding keys of the two setslying in the same plane at opposite sides of and having rack-teeth inmesh with the same pinion, the outer end of each key being provided witha finger-piece, anditsinnerend havingalongitudinal socket, and pinsprojected forwardly from the back of the casing and into the sockets ofthe respective keys.

In testimony that 1- claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

AL HERBERT LAMB.

Witnesses f D. J. DRISCOLL, JAs. O. FEHLEY.

